Kitchen device



Nov. 21, 1939. F 2.180.459

KITCHEN DEVICE Filed Feb. 7, 193a 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.

INVENTOR GUVON LC. EARLE ATTORNEY Nov. 21, 1939.

G.L.C EARLE KITCHEN DEVICE Filed Feb. 7, 1938' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \\\vlliltlwlirillrrlli WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII E IIII/IAZPIIII IIl/Ill/lll/511111!!! FIG. 2

/NVENTOR By GUVONLCEARLE (7i ,1 141 7 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. .1939

I iii @iue.

This invention relates to'lritchen devices and more specifically tostoves and related structures. In modern homes and aments, kitchen spaceis necessarily very limited. in order to provide as much space asposnble in the lritchen for walking, tables, chairs etc, it is necessarythat the ldtchen devices usually placed near the walls oi the room, suchas the sink and drainboard therefor, the stove, the refrigerator, theill dishwasher, and the shelved cabinets, be arranged as compactly aspossible without sacrlfic of utility. There is another requirement ofmodern hitch on devices that is next in importance to com-- l5 pactness,and that requirement is harmony of design, In most kitchen devices ofthe past, the

stove-is made as a separate unit, which is not in harmony with the restof the kitchen ensemble. In the arrangement according to this ingovention, the stove is made in such'a manner that it harmonizes perfectlywith other articles of kitchen furniture (such as the refrigerator, sinkand cabinets) to form a compact unit which has convenient andample tablespace with a mini- 25 mum of waste space. In one modification of theinvention, the unsightly cooking space is hidden- :lrom view. Moreover,there is no space wasted between the wall cabinets and the table top, atthe same time retaining ample working space on so the table top.

It is, accordingly, an object or this invention to provide a stove unitof novel construction and arrangement.

It is another object 01' this invention to provide 35 a kitchen cabinetstructure in which the stove has such shape that it is adapted toharmonize wih a sink, refrigerator and shelved cabinets in such a mannerthat a unitary structure is formed.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a kitchen cabinetstructure having a stove in which the upper portion thereof is set backfrom the bottom portion and a table-top memher is placed on that part oithe bottom portion 45 not covered by the top portion, which table-topmember may have an opening therein in which one or more heating membersmay be located.

Other objects of this invention, some of them more or less ancillary orincidental to those above 50 mentioned, will appear hereinafter as thedescription proceeds;

In the preferred embodiment of the invention,

a kitchen cabinet structure is provided which includes a stove unit, asink unit and a refriger- 5t ator unit, there being a flat table topmember (iUi. limit-3?) common to all three'which is used, for example,

in the preparation of food, The stove unit com-=- prises a base .orbottom portion containing a broiler, an oven, and one or more drawersfor the accumulation of food or utensils, and a top 5 portion which islocated above and set back from the front of the bottom portion, thistop portlon containing one or more heated compartments each having aplurality of burners, which may be concealed from view, and a broilerburner, one or more hues for carrying away the heat from the heatedcompartments, a thermostatically controlled blower, and dampers forcutting oi?! the flow of heated air into the lines as desired. The sinkunit comprises a base or bottom portion containing the sink itself, theplumbing and cupboard space, and a top portion, which is located aboveand set back from the front of the bottom portion, containing a dishwashing and drying compartment and shelves for canned food and supplies.The refrigerator unit likewise has a bottom portion and a set-back topportion. The three units have a common table-top member which has cutout thereof an opening tor the sink and, if desired, space for a burnerin the stove unit. The irontsurfaces of all three bottom portions are ina common vertical plane and the front surfaces of all three top portionsare in a common second'vertlcal plane which is set back from the firstmentioned vertical plane. A false front extends the second verticalplane to the ceiling of the room containing the kitchen cabinetstructure.

- The invention will be more readily understood by referring to thefollowing description and the 5 accompanying drawings forming a partthereof, in which;

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the kitchencabinet structure containing the stove unit of this lnventiom,

Fig, 2 is an elevation section of the; stoveor range unit; and

Fig. 3. is afront view of a portion oi the stove or range unit.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows, inperspective, a. preferred form of the kitchen cabinet structure Illcontaining the novel stove unit of this invention. Thestructure'comprises three main units ll, 12 and i3 mounted on a wood ormetal common base m'emher M having its front edge set-in, ifv desired,to provide foot room. The unit ll contains a stove or range, the unit l2a sink, and the unit ii a refrigerator, so these three units willhereinafter be referred to, respectively, as the stove unit, the

sink unit and the refrigerator unit even though one or more of theseunits may also contain shelves or cabinet space.

The stove unit comprises a top portion 5 and a bottom portion l6.Similarly, the sink unit l2 comprises a top portion I1 and a bottomportion l8, and .the refrigerator unit includes a top portion l9 and abottom portion 20. In the a preferred embodiment, all three bottomportions of the units are covered with a common, flat, table member 2|which has an overhang 22 on the front surface of the structure, themember 2| having a cut-out portion for the sink 23 and, if desired, acut-out portion for a platter 24 over a, burner I10. It is to beunderstood, however, that it is within the scope of this invention toprovide the member 2| in two or more pieces rather than in one piece asshown in the drawings. The member 2| may be of metal or of any suitablecomposition material.

Reference will now be made to Figs. 2 and 3 in addition to Fig. 1 for adetailed description of the stove unit ii. The upper portion l5 of thestove unit comprises two or more heated compartments 25 and 26 havingburners 21 and'28 and 29 and 30, respectively, located directly underthe utensils shown in Fig. 5. Doors 3| and 32 hinged at the bottom swingdown and out towards the table member 2|, the inner surface of the doorsbeing on a level with the grates 33 and 34 when the doors are in ahorizontal position, thus making it possible to slide utensils off thegrates to the inner surface of the doors 3| and 32 when they are open.At the top of the compartments 25 and 26 are preferably arranged burners35 and 36 in order that the compartments may be used, as broilers ifdesired. Mesh racks (not shown) may be held from guides 31 and 38 tosupport the food at the proper distance from the broiler burners. A hood39 surmounts the compartments 25 and 26 to guide the heated airtherefrom to a flue 40 through inlets 4| and 42. A blower 43 controlledby a thermostat 44 drives the heated air from the flue 40 to a main flue(not shown) of the house, In the inlets 4| and 42 are valves 45 and 46to cut off the flow of heated air from one or more of the compartments25 and 26 to the fiue at will. In one method of operating thearrangement according to this invention, the article or articles of foodmay be heated, for example, in the compartment 26, by one or both of theburners 29 and 30, or by the top burner 36, and then the supply of 'heatis cut off, the valve 46 is turned to the ofi" position, and the foodallowed to continue its cooking in the compartment in the well-knownfireless cooker" manner. Preferably, by any suitable means, the valve 46is so arranged that it can be turned to the off position only when theburners 29, 30 and 36 are "0 Similarly, thev valve 45 is preferably soarranged that it is necessary to have the burners 21, 28 and 35 turnedoff before it can be placed in its "off position.

Located above the compartments 25 and 26 are the shelves 41, 48, 49 and50 for the storage of food. dishes or utensils. The shelf compartment 5|is completely heat insulated from the stove compartments 25 and 26 andfrom the flue 40 which passes through the shelf compartment. A falsefront 53 extends the vertical plane formed by the doors 3| and 32 of thestove compartments 25 and 26 and the doors 54 and 55 of the shelfcompartment 5| to the ceiling of the apartment. The valves 45 and 46 arecontrolled through the shelf compartment 5|. It will be noted from Fig.2 of the drawings that shelves 41 and 48 are stepped to allow space forthe hood 39.

The bottom portion l6 of the stove unit comprises in its preferredembodiment, shown by way of example, a broiler compartment 56 anddrawers 51, 58, 59, 66, 6| and 62 heat-insulated therefrom. At the topof the broiler compartment 56 is a heater element 63 which is shown connected to a gas pipe 64. The food being prepared may be placed on racks10 which are mounted in any approved manner. It will be understood thatwhile all the pipes, fixtures and connections for the gas circuit havenot been shown in the drawings for the sake of clarity, any suitablearrangement of these members can be used. A platter 24 has been shown infull lines in Fig. 1 and in dotted lines in Fig. 2. This platter, whichmay not be present if it is'desired to have an unbroken surface 2|, hassuitable surface pans or platters 65 and 66 for the frying of pancakes,eggs, toast, steaks, etc. on the top of the cabinet device, heat beingsupplied by a burner H0. The platter 24 is so hinged that it can beswung upward from its rear edge to expose a shallow tray for thebroiling of'steaks, chops, etc. Controls 6'1 for the burners 21, 28, 29,30, 35, 36,63 and the burner I10 are mounted in the upper part of thelower portion'iG. These controls are preferably so arranged that theyare almost, if not entirely, out of sight beneath the overhang 22 whenthe burners are not in use.

As a modification of the stove'arrangement shown in these figures of thedrawings, the heater element '63 may be located in the upper portion ofother obvious changes and additions the space occupied by the drawers5'l and 58 and possibly that occupied by the drawer 59 may be utilizedas a broiler or as a broiler and oven, if desired. In order to presentan even appearance with the drawers, the hinged door 68 may have a falsedivision line or lines 69 as shown in the drawings. It will be obviousthat it is within the scope of this invention to provide electricburners instead of gas, the latter being shown merely by way of example.It is also obvious that the entire bottom portion may be used forcabinet or shelf space, if desired in some cases.

It will be clear that there has been described above a stove arrangementwhich is suitable for a variety of purposes. The housewife can heat,broil, bake, boil or roast in either of the top heated compartments 25and 26 or use each of these compartments as a fireless" cooker. Forbaking, roasting or broiling larger articles the lower portion of thestove as, for example, the compartment 56 (used as a broiler as shown inthe drawings or as an oven if the above-mentioned changes are made) maybe utilized. For quick frying, the platter 24 mounted in the tableportion 2| is ideal. The entire arrangement is so made that the stoveunit looks more 'like a cabinet than anything else, and at the same timeall of the vacant space usually found under the wall cabinets is nowmade use of. i

All outside parts of the cabinet structure are preferably of metalalthough any other suitable material, such as a composition, may be usedas well. The top 2| is preferably made of 1 of this invention makes useof all nooks and corners thus serving the dual purposes of providingmore useful working space and preventing the accumulation of dust. Thefront surfaces of the tops of the three units are all in one ver-.

tlcal plane which plane is set back from another plane which containsthe front surfaces of the bottoms of all three units.

Various modifications other than those described above may be made inthe invention as above described without departing from the spirit orletter of this invention, the scope of which is indicated by theappended claims. For example, the various unitsmay be inseparated partsof the kitchen, if desired. In the claims the terms first member andsecond member are intended to be broad enough to cover the situationwhere the two members are so joined by a piece or pieces of materialthat they are actually one. Similarly the terms burner and heatingmember are intended to cover both electric and gas heating members.

What is claimed is:

i. In combination, a first member having an enclosed space therein, asecond member having a smaller horizontal cross-sectional area than saidfirst member, all portions of said second member being located abovesaid first member, a stationary burner in the bottom portion of anenclosed space in the second member, a utensil supporting memberassociated with and closely adjacent said burner, a door for the enfillclosed space in said second member, and a handle for said door, saiddoor being' so arranged and mounted that when it is in the open positionand its outside surface separated from being located above said firstmember and having a plurality of heating chambers located side by sidetherein, each of said chambers having a stationary heating membertherefor, and a utensil supporting member at substantially the samelevel as the top of said first member associated with and adjacent saidheating member.

3. In combination, a first member having an enclosed space therein, anda second member having .a smaller, horizontal cross-sectional area thansaid'flrst member, said second member being located above said firstmember and having a plurality of heating chambers, located side by sidetherein, each of said chambers having a stationary heating membertherefor, a utensil supporting member at substantially the same level asthe top of said first member associated with and adjacent said heatingmember, and ventilating means for carrying off the heat from thechambers.

' 4. In combination, a first member having an enclosed space therein, asecond member having a smaller horizontal cross-sectional area than saidfirst member, said second member being located above said first member,a heating chamber in said second member, a heater member for saidchamber, a utensil supporting surface associated with and adjacent saidheater member, a second heater member in said chamber at a higher levelthan said first heater member, and a table-top member for said firstmember at substantially the same level as said utensil supportingmember, said table-top member being so placed that it can be used whilethe burners are in operation.

5. In combination, a first member having a heating member therein, asecond member having a smaller cross-sectional area than said firstmember, said second member being located above said first member andhaving a plurality of enclosed spaces therein, at least one stationaryburner in each of said enclosed spaces in said second member, anupwardly extending hood for said plurality of enclosed spaces, a flueleading to each of said enclosed spaces and being attached to said hood,said fiues merging into a larger fiue, a valve in each of saidsmaller'fiues, a blower associated with said larger flue, and a tabletop member covering the portion of the top .of said first member notcovered by said second member.

6. In a stove device, a bottom enclosure member having a back wall,twoside walls and a front wall, said front wall having at least oneopening therein, a top enclosuremember located above said bottomenclosure member and whose front wall is set back from the front wall ofsaid bottom enclosure member, a stationary heater member for said topenclosure member, a utensil supporting member associated with andadjacent said heater member, and a table top member permanently mountedon the bottom enclosure member and in front of said top enclosure member, said utensil supporting member being at substantially the samelevel as the top of said table top member.

7. In combination, a first member having an enclosed space therein, asecond member having a smaller horizontal cross-sectional area than saidfirst member, said second member being located above said first memberand having two heating chambers located side by side therein, a

table top member permanently mounted on said first member and in'frontof said second member, a burner for each of said heating chambers, autensil supporting surface for and adjacent each of said burners locatedat substantially the same level as said table top member, a verticalpartition member between said heating chambers, and a burner in eachofsaid heating chambers at'a higher level than said first-mentionedburners.

8. In combination, a first member having an enclosed space therein, asecond member having a smaller horizontal cross-sectional area than saidfirst member, said second member being located above said first memberand having two heating chambers locatedside by side therein, a table topmember permanently mounted on said first member and in front of saidsecond member, a burner for one of said heating chambers, a utensilsupporting member associated with and adjacent said burner located atsubstantially the same level as said table top member, a'verticalpartition member between said heating chambers, a burner in the other ofsaid heating chambers at a higher level than said first-mentionedburner, and a separate door for each heating chamber.

9. In a stove device, a bottom enclosure memher having a back Wall, twoside walls and a front well, said front wall having at least. one

opening therein, a top enclosure member located above said bottomenclosure member and whose front wall is set back from the front wall ofsaid bottom enclosure member, said top enclosure member having twoheating chambers located side by side and opening out on the front ofsaid device, a separate downwardly swinging door for each heatingchamber, a heating member for each heating chamber and a utensilsupporting member for each chamber and adjacent said heating membertherefor, said utensil supporting members being at substantially thesame level as the inside surface of each of said doorswhen in the openposition;

10. In a stove device, a bottom enclosure member, the front wall ofwhich has at least one opening therein, a top enclosure member locatedabove said bottom enclosure member and whose front wall is set back fromthe front wall of said bottom enclosure member, a stationary'heatermember for said top enclosure member, a utensil supporting memberadjacent said, heater member, a table top member permanently mounted onthe bottom enclosure member and in front of said top enclosure member,the top of said table-top member being at substantially the same levelas the utensil supporting member, and a stationary heating member in anopening in said table top member. l

11. In a stove device, a bottom enclosure member the front wall of whichhas at least one open- GUYON L. C. EARLE.

